by C. J. Boyle
The twins nodded again, "The Warden."
Brody gave in. "Okay. The Warden. Do you know where she is?"
"She went up there." Jamal pointed to the second level where the cells were.
Brody looked to where Jamal pointed. "Why would she go back to her cell?"
"Where else would she go?" Carl shrugged.
Brody had to agree. Even if she wanted an upgrade, at that moment, that was her space. He headed up the metal stairs to the second level. He passed several cells where people were making themselves comfortable. All the doors were wide open. He guessed it was because they were afraid of getting locked in. He found it very hard not to look in as he passed. When he came to Kera's door it was shut. He looked through the window and saw Kera in her bed. He pulled at the handle and, as expected, it opened. He knew the locks had been disengaged. As he took a step inside, his foot connected with a plastic pill bottle and it rocketed across the floor. He looked at it and then back to her, suddenly remembering her kamikaze episode from earlier that day.
"Kera." It wasn't a yell. It wasn't a whisper. It was more like a command that she wake. He knelt down next to her and tried to feel for a pulse. At the same time, he looked for any sign of breathing. He thought he felt a pulse but it was very faint. "Kera!" This time he yelled at her. He dove toward the pill bottle on the floor and grabbed it. He shoved it in his pocket, then scooped up Kera and ran out the door.
He might as well have run through a wormhole that dumped him directly into the infirmary because he got there that fast. "Doc!" He put Kera down on one of the free beds as the doctor ran over to her.
Dr. Wallace checked her pulse and then pulled her eyelids open, one at a time, so that he could look at her pupils. "What'd she take?" Brody jammed his hand into his pocket to retrieve the pill bottle and handed it to him. Wallace looked at the bottle and grimaced. He walked over to his medicine cabinet and frantically unlocked it. As he searched for the medicine he needed, he knocked stuff over. "How much did she take?"
Brody was still breathing heavily from his run, carrying dead weight all the way to the infirmary. "I don't know. Is she going to be alright?"
The doctor carefully pulled medicine into a syringe from a small glass bottle and then took it out. He looked at Brody briefly and shook his head. "I don't know." He jammed the needle into her arm and pressed down the plunger. He pulled it out and then angrily threw it into the sink next to him. "God damn it, Kera, how could you do this?" He started to tear up a little as he grabbed an IV bag and hooked it to the pole next to her bed. Brody watched as the doctor inserted an IV needled into her hand and then turned the unit on.
Brody looked at the doctor and then back to her. "That's it? That's all you can do?"
"Yes, Brody. That's it. That's all I can do. She's breathing. Her heart is beating. I gave her Naloxone to hopefully reverse the effects of the pills she took. I'll give her another one in a little while. All we can do is wait."
~ The Public Service Announcement ~
Molly stood in front of a mirror combing her hair. The room looked like any other medium class hotel room. She was nervous but repeatedly kept telling herself that “it” was no big deal. She stopped grooming herself to appraise her appearance. She looked good in her black form fitting pants suit but if she had done her own shopping, she would have chosen a skirt. It made her look more sexy and alluring. Such things were important to her ratings. She frowned at herself. Ratings didn’t exactly matter anymore. The phone rang startling her. She walked over to the nightstand and grabbed it. “Hello?” She listened for a moment to the voice on the other end of the line. “Yes. I understand.” She returned it to its cradle. She took a deep breath and walked to the door. She stood in front of it with her hand on the knob for a moment while she told herself, yet again, that it was no big deal and that everything will be fine. She opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. It was bright but dull and gray with slick shiny floors. She definitely wasn’t in a hotel. If she still had doubts about that fact, the two Marines that flanked her on either side squashed them into teeny tiny bits. One of them started walking down the ugly gray corridor.
“This way, Miss.” The other Marine held out his hand to direct her to follow his partner in crime.
One of them led the way while the other brought up the rear. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that they were afraid that she’d run off. Even if she had it would only be a matter of annoyance. They would find her. When they entered an elevator, the Marines stood in front of her. She scrutinized them closely. Both of them were well groomed and their uniforms crisp and professionally cleaned and ironed. Neither one of them showed much emotion at all. She knew the events of the previous night affected everyone in a very dramatic way. She knew both of the men were probably concentrating on work and tried not to think about the world’s state of affairs. But that was her, making assumptions. For all she knew, the two Marines before her were robots.
When the doors of the elevator opened up they brought her to an office at the end of the hallway. The Marine paused long enough to knock. There was an immediate “Come” from inside the office so the Marine opened the door and motioned for Molly to go inside. She walked cautiously and looked from side to side.
There was only one man in the room. He was definitely Air Force but she didn’t know what rank he was. “Thank you, Gentlemen,” he said dismissing them.
“Good day, Sir.” The Marines saluted and closed the door.
“Miss Saunders,” he held out his hand for her to shake, “My name is Colonel Cockran.”
Molly looked at his hand. She didn’t want to shake it so she made no movement to that end. Cockran let his hand fall to his side. “Please, have a seat.” He walked behind his desk and sat down. He waited for her to do the same but she didn’t budge. “Okay.” The Colonel took a deep breath, “The reason why I brought you here is…”
“You mean the reason that you had me kidnapped?” Molly snapped.
Cockran’s mouth dropped open, “I think most people would see it as being rescued.”
“Did it ever occur to you that I didn’t need to be…”
“Alright, stop. Right now. Shut up. We’re not going to do this dance.” Cockran silently dared her to speak again.
Molly was shocked by the way he spoke to her. Who the hell did he think he was?
“The way my men tell it, you and your cameraman were about to be shredded by a gang of Links.” Again, he dared to say anything negative.
“That still doesn’t give you the right to…”
“I said, shut up!” Cockran suddenly took a deep breath and looked at the wall. “We obviously got off on the wrong foot. Let's start over." He motioned for her to sit down. Molly stared daggers at him but decided to sit down. "This is how it is going to work. You will continue to enjoy free room and board and, in exchange, you'll be our nationwide news anchor. Otherwise, you're on your own." He flipped his hand at her.
Molly calmly waited a few seconds to make sure he was done talking. It was actually the best deal that could have been offered to her. She just wished getting a big gig like 'nationwide news anchor' happened before the apocalypse so she could have enjoyed some of the perks that were associated with it.
"Well?" Colonel Cockran raised his eyebrows at her.
"Exactly who do you think will be watching TV?" Molly thought it was a valid question. After all, the human race was decimated by the Link virus.
"There are bound to be survivors surfing the airways, internet, and radio stations for information. We will be working to set up safe zones and those people will need updates." He got up and pointed at Hawaii, and then Cheyenne Mountain Command. "We are clearing Hawaii of Links. The Air Force Academy. And my chief scientist says there are a small number of survivors holed up at a prison outside of Denver." He pointed at a remote place in Arizona. "There's Area 51, the bunker in Greenbrier, Virginia." He turned around and faced her. "There are really too many places to just
list off. Not to mention the fact that I'm sure other countries will be monitoring our communications and broadcasts. Right now, the most important thing is warning people in New York, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia."
Molly was overwhelmed. The chaos was evidently more organized than she believed. His last sentence almost fell away into oblivion until she remembered the word "warning" and the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. She could no longer hide her feelings. She suddenly felt like a scared little child. "Wait? What? Why?"
The next few moments passed quickly. She found herself whisked through the mountain to a news studio. The Colonel seemed to have verbal diarrhea and talked on and on about how Cheyenne Mountain Complex was the best place she could be on the planet. He told her how they had stores of food and water that could last literally decades and if that wasn't enough it housed an 'impressive' hydroponic farm. His words started to blend into each other while someone pinned a microphone to her suit. She remembered something and suddenly felt about two inches tall. Her eyes started to sting as she tried to blink away the tears. "Where is JoJo?"
Cockran looked at her dumbly, "Who's JoJo?"
"My cameraman!" She cried.
He shrugged, "I assume he's dead. Him and three of the ten men that I sent to rescue you both." He turned and pointed behind him. "That's your new cameraman over there." The man behind the camera waved at her. "And that's the teleprompter. I'm sure you're familiar with it. Read exactly what it says, understand?"
Molly wiped a tear from under her eye before it could run down her face and ruin her makeup.
He waited a moment for her to answer. When she didn't, he repeated himself, "Understand?"
She nodded, "Yes. Okay? Yes." How could she have forgotten about JoJo until that moment? Was she really that selfish?
The cameraman signaled her and she suddenly felt like she was six years old standing on stage for the first time with a bright light shining in her eyes. She looked at the teleprompter and then to Cockran. He opened his arms and shook his head in a silent 'what the fuck?' She suddenly snapped herself out of it.
"This is Molly Saunders coming to you live from Cheyenne Mountain Complex formerly known as NORAD. Over the last twenty-four hours, the world has experienced a global tragedy." She read the teleprompter with perfect professionalism. "It is estimated that only two billion humans are left worldwide and that number is dwindling by the minute. To try to level the playing field, the CMC has decided the best course of action would be to eliminate the five largest cities in America." She listed the cities and told America what stations to listen to and what channels they would broadcast on. As she spoke she was afraid that no one was listening. She felt like she was talking for hours and her mouth was impossibly dry. "This, is still America and WE are still Americans, and above all else, we are human beings. Don't let this tragedy turn us into the monsters that we are fighting. This is not the time to fight each other. This is a time to join together and help each other. Be safe and good night."
Chapter Four
Three Months Later
The number of people at New Hope had grown to nearly fifteen hundred people. They made themselves at home in the cells and in the apartments. When it became clear they needed a little more space, some of the people 'appropriated' some high-end RV's that looked better on the inside than most middle-class homes. As with any community of people, there were rules to follow. The rules of man. The rules of humankind. They were the same rules that humans decided to follow since they discovered it was possible to prevent sadness and heartbreak by not taking a life just because a person pissed you off. Consequences have actions. There had to be peace, therefore, there had to be peacekeepers. But who were the judges? Who would be the ones who decided what actions were right or wrong during the apocalypse? If you kill an entire family in order to feed yours, is that wrong?
They were gathered in the largest cafeteria on the grounds to decide that exact situation. A man befriended a teen's family who took him in and fed him. He promptly repaid that kindness by stealing all of their food. When the father tried to stop him, the man got scared and just started shooting. The girl's father, mother and brother were shot and died from their injuries.
Dr. Wallace watched the scene unfold with a heavy heart. He could sympathize with both parties. The accused may have been able to feed his family that day but a few weeks later a pack of Links attacked and killed his family, leaving him alone. Of course, both the accused and the accuser would end up in the same safe zone because, you know, life wasn't hard enough. The teen girl spoke passionately and with such profound emotion so tangible that it was hard for Wallace to keep watching. The man didn't try to deny it. He told his side of the story and it was just as heartbreaking as hers. A council of thirteen people huddled together whispering to each other.
The cafeteria erupted with people talking to one another and still others yelling their opinions. "Expel him!"
The Council leaned in to hear each other over the crowd. None of them seemed to want to speak. Dr. Wallace watched them and knew that they were divided on the subject. He could see this situation getting out of control very quickly. He searched the crowd for Kera. He didn't know where she was but he knew she had to be there. A few rows away from him a woman with blonde hair stood up. Kera.
"Warden!" Someone in the crowd yelled, "It's the Warden!"
She walked out into the open and stood so that everyone could see her. "I'm going to step in because I can see how difficult this trial is for everyone." She looked at both the accused and the accuser. "We didn't stop being human beings when the Links turned three months ago. This is still America and as far as I'm concerned, the basic laws of humanity still apply. Initially, this man just wanted to steal some food. Is stealing wrong? Yes, it is. And in this situation, under these conditions, stealing would cause pain and suffering. But he didn't just steal these people's only food. When he was found out and they tried to take it back, he killed them. And we all know that killing is wrong. This wasn't self-defense. Look at that girl, Grace. The world had already gone bad on her and then this man came along and took everything she had left." She turned around and spoke to the crowd of people. "When the Raiders raid homes and the Shoppers raid department stores, they are technically stealing but we aren't hurting anyone when we do it. And we don't kill anyone to get the things we need." She pointed at the accused, "You all know the rules at New Hope. A criminal can stay here...in a cell. And only if someone is willing to take care of them." She looked at the faces in the crowd. "Is anyone willing to take care of a murderer?"
The cafeteria was impossibly silent. Dr. Wallace looked at his goddaughter and marveled at the vastly different women who apparently inhabited the same body. Three months ago, she selfishly chose to end her life. If Brody hadn't found her when he did, she would have been successful. If you watched her, you could actually pinpoint the personality shift. Just adding one person to the mix would decide which way her temperament would go. Usually, that person was Brody. He was her stalker. Over the last three months, he almost never let her out of his sight. She had to pretend to be strong. Pretend to be okay. Just to have a moment alone. She managed to hide her emotions most of the time. But if you watched her, you could still see that broken suicidal woman. That time-bomb waiting to go off. He hoped that the strong woman he saw before him would eventually prevail and take the reins permanently.
Kera twirled around slowly and scanned the crowd. "No one?" She held her hands out to the side and scanned the crowd again. She shrugged, "Get him three days of food and the shittiest car we have and show him the door." She watched her peacekeepers grab each of his arms before she headed out the nearest door. Wallace got up as quickly as he could and ran after her. She walked briskly down the hall with him closely at her heels. When she finally noticed she was being followed, she glanced over at him, "Remind me again how I became the leader of these people?"
Wallace chuckled, "I seem to remember you left one day
and came back with a bus full of them."
Mammy suddenly walked in front of them causing Kera to stop cold. Mammy towered over both of them. She was an amazon. She looked down at Kera and sneered, "Why aren't you in a cell, Warden?" She placed a sarcastic emphasis on 'warden'.
Kera didn't respond. The doctor looked at her and instantly knew that he was going to be stitching somebody up very soon. He had to intervene. "Mammy, Kera never killed anyone," he spoke softly and nodded. "You know as well as I do that some of the people that were in this prison were innocent." Kera looked at him in a way that told him she knew what he was up to and clearly she didn't like it. "You always maintained that you were innocent, right?"
Mammy's face seemed to relax a little as she looked at his face. He must have seemed sincere to her. She looked at Kera and shook her head, "Whatever. It just seems like you're a little bit of a hypocrite to me."
Kera had no patience for Mammy. "Well, that's okay because you seem like a little bit of a moron to me. Get the fuck out of my way." Kera may have had to look up to the large woman, but she locked eyes with her and showed no fear. Mammy took a few moments to think about it and then reluctantly stepped aside. Doctor Wallace and Kera continued their walk down a long hallway where one of the walls was an endless memorial for the ones people had lost. There were photos and flowers pinned to the wall. Kera suddenly stopped, moved back a few steps, then looked at the wall. Dr. Wallace watched her curiously until he realized what she was looking at. She reached over and pulled a driver's license off the wall.